Allocating additional bandwidth to resources in a datacenter through deployment of dedicated gateways

ABSTRACT

Some embodiments provide a method for deploying edge forwarding elements in a public or private software defined datacenter (SDDC). For an entity, the method deploys a default first edge forwarding element to process data message flows between machines of the entity in a first network of the SDDC and machines external to the first network of the SDDC. The method subsequently receives a request to allocate more bandwidth to a first set of the data message flows entering or exiting the first network of the SDDC. In response, the method deploys a second edge forwarding element to process the first set of data message flows of the entity in order to allocate more bandwidth to the first set of the data message flows, while continuing to process a second set of data message flows of the entity through the default first edge node. The method in some embodiments receives the request for more bandwidth by first receiving a request to create a traffic group and then receiving a list of network addresses that are associated with the traffic group. In some embodiments, the method receives the list of network addresses associated with the traffic group by receiving a prefix of network addresses and receiving a request to associate the prefix of network addresses with the traffic group. Based on this request, the method then creates an association between the traffic group and the received prefix of network addresses.

BACKGROUND

Software defined datacenters (SDDCs) are typically protected from external networks by edge routers that perform middlebox service operations, such as firewall, network address translation (NAT), etc. All the external traffic is steered through the edge gateway. The external network bandwidth in an SDDC would be determined by the minimum of edge gateway uplink bandwidth and the host adapter network bandwidth. There are applications with flows that require a large bandwidth that consume a considerable amount of edge network capacity. These flows are often stateful, which require the traffic to be symmetrically processed at the same edge router. There is no solution that addresses these needs today. Because of this, customers are often asked to split their applications across multiple SDDCs so that they can get additional external network bandwidth. Each SDDC comes with its own management plane and this leads to management overheads. There is a need to be able to assign the large flows with dedicated bandwidth resource within the same SDDC.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for deploying edge forwarding elements in a public or private software defined datacenter (SDDC). For an entity (e.g., tenant, business, department, etc.), the method deploys a default first edge forwarding element to process data message flows between machines of the entity in a first network of the SDDC and machines external to the first network of the SDDC (e.g., machines outside of the SDDC). The method subsequently receives a request to allocate more bandwidth to a first set of the data message flows entering or exiting the first network of the SDDC.

In response, the method deploys a second edge forwarding element to process the first set of data message flows of the entity in order to allocate more bandwidth to the first set of the data message flows, while continuing to process a second set of data message flows of the entity through the default first edge node. The method of some embodiments provides a novel way of making bandwidth available as any other user-selectable resource (like compute machines, service machines, network elements, etc.) in the SDDC.

The method in some embodiments receives the request for more bandwidth by first receiving a request to create a traffic group and then receiving a list of network addresses that are associated with the traffic group. The list of network addresses identifies the subset of the data message flows to be processed by the second edge node. The network addresses in some embodiments are network addresses associated with interfaces for connecting the machines in the first network to forwarding elements of the first network. In some embodiments, the method receives the list of network addresses associated with the traffic group by receiving a prefix of network addresses and then receiving a request to associate the prefix of network addresses with the traffic group. Based on this request, the method then creates an association between the traffic group and the received prefix of network addresses.

In some embodiments, the method deploys the second edge forwarding element by configuring the second edge forwarding element to forward data messages of the first set to forwarding elements in the external network, and configuring a set of forwarding elements in the first network to forward the first set of data message flows from a set of machines of the first network to the second edge forwarding element. The edge forwarding elements in some embodiments are edge routers. The method in some of these embodiments configures the second edge forwarding element by configuring the second edge forwarding element to advertise to forwarding elements in the external network routes to the set of machines.

The configured set of forwarding elements in the first network in some embodiments includes intervening routers. In some of these embodiments, the method configures the set of intervening routers by providing next-hop forwarding rules to the set of intervening routers. Alternatively, or conjunctively, the configured set of forwarding elements in some embodiments includes a set of intervening switches that implement a logical switch. In these embodiments, the method configures the set of intervening switches by providing forwarding rules to the set of intervening switches to direct the switches to forward the first set of data message flows to the second edge forwarding element through a set of tunnels that connect the set of intervening switches to the second edge forwarding element.

In some embodiments, the SDDC is a public cloud datacenter with a second network. In these embodiments, the first network is a private network that is defined in the second network to implement a virtual private cloud (VPC) for the entity in the public cloud datacenter. The first network is a segregated private physical network in some embodiments, while it is a logical overlay network in other embodiments.

The second edge forwarding element in some embodiments is a gateway in the public cloud datacenter. In some embodiments, the method deploys the second edge forwarding element by deploying the gateway and then configuring a set of forwarding elements in the second network of the public cloud datacenter to forward the first set of data message flows to the deployed gateway.

In some embodiments, the method deploys the first and second edge forwarding elements by deploying the first and second edge forwarding elements as separate first and second devices in the SDDC. The first and second devices are different edge forwarding appliances in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the first and second edge forwarding devices are two different machines executing on two different host computers.

After receiving the request to allocate more bandwidth to the first set of data message flows, the method of some embodiments receives a request to allocate more bandwidth to a third set of the data message flows of the entity that enter or exit the first network of the SDDC. The method deploys for the entity a third edge forwarding element to process the third set of data message flows in order to allocate more bandwidth to the third set of the data message flows, while continuing to process the second set of data message flows through the default first edge node and to process the first set of data message flows through the second edge node.

Like the request for allocating more bandwidth for the first set of data message flows, the method in some embodiments receives the request for more bandwidth for the third set of data message flows by first receiving a request to create another traffic group, receiving another prefix of network addresses that identify the third set of data message flows, and then receiving a request to associate the newly received traffic group with the newly received address prefix. In some embodiments, the address prefixes for the first and third data message flows can overlap. In such cases, the method resolves the overlap by assigning the overlapping addresses to the traffic group that more specifically identifies the addresses. For instance, if the first list of addresses for the first data message flow set is specified in terms of a range of IP addresses (192.168.200.0/24) while the second list of addresses for the third data message flow set specifies a specific address (192.168.200.10) in this range, the method assigns the more specific address to the second traffic group that identifies the third data message flow set.

In some embodiments, the method deploys the second and third edge forwarding elements by deploying the second and third edge forwarding elements as different forwarding appliances, while in other embodiments it deploys these forwarding elements by deploying different machines that execute on different host computers in the SDDC. Using different host computers to implement different edge forwarding elements for different sets of data message flows allows dedicated resources (e.g., physical network interface cards (PNICs)) of the different host computers to be used for the different sets of data message flows.

The preceding Summary is intended to serve as a brief introduction to some embodiments of the invention. It is not meant to be an introduction or overview of all inventive subject matter disclosed in this document. The Detailed Description that follows and the Drawings that are referred to in the Detailed Description will further describe the embodiments described in the Summary as well as other embodiments. Accordingly, to understand all the embodiments described by this document, a full review of the Summary, the Detailed Description, the Drawings and the Claims is needed. Moreover, the claimed subject matters are not to be limited by the illustrative details in the Summary, the Detailed Description and the Drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

The novel features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. However, for purposes of explanation, several embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following figures.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate one example of deploying multiple edge gateways in an SDDC in order to allocate additional bandwidth to multiple different sets of ingress and egress flows to and from machines that are deployed in the SDDC for an entity.

FIG. 4 conceptually illustrates a process performed by the manager and controller servers in some embodiments to define and deploy a traffic group to allocate additional bandwidth to a set of machines.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example a management user interface of some embodiments for defining and creating traffic groups.

FIG. 6 illustrates a display window that is displayed following a selection of a traffic group control.

FIG. 7 illustrates the addition of a newly created traffic group to the traffic groups listed in a traffic group pane.

FIG. 8 shows a IP prefix list pane that includes an add IP prefix list control.

FIG. 9 shows the selection of the prefix list control.

FIG. 10 illustrates a display window that is presented after selection of the prefix list control.

FIG. 11 illustrates a set prefix window, while FIG. 12 illustrates a prefix pane.

FIG. 13 illustrates the set prefix window that display the specified prefix along with the user's selection of the apply control to direct the management servers to associate the specified prefix list with the prefix name.

FIG. 14 illustrates the prefix pane after the selection of the apply control.

FIGS. 15-18 illustrate the association of a received list of network addresses with a traffic group.

FIG. 19 illustrates a computer system with each some embodiments of the invention can be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description of the invention, numerous details, examples, and embodiments of the invention are set forth and described. However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth and that the invention may be practiced without some of the specific details and examples discussed.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for deploying edge forwarding elements in a public or private software defined datacenter (SDDC). For an entity (e.g., tenant, business, department, etc.), the method deploys a default first edge forwarding element to process data message flows between machines of the entity in a first network of the SDDC and machines external to the first network of the SDDC (e.g., machines outside of the SDDC). The method subsequently receives a request to allocate more bandwidth to a first set of the data message flows entering or exiting the first network of the SDDC.

In response, the method deploys a second edge forwarding element to process the first set of data message flows of the entity in order to allocate more bandwidth to the first set of the data message flows, while continuing to process a second set of data message flows of the entity through the default first edge node. The method of some embodiments provides a novel way of making bandwidth available as any other user-selectable resource (like compute machines, service machines, network elements, etc.) in the SDDC.

The method in some embodiments receives the request for more bandwidth by first receiving a request to create a traffic group and then receiving a list of network addresses that are associated with the traffic group. The list of network addresses identifies the subset of the data message flows to be processed by the second edge node. The network addresses in some embodiments are network addresses associated with interfaces for connecting the machines in the first network to forwarding elements of the first network. In some embodiments, the method receives the list of network addresses associated with the traffic group by receiving a prefix of network addresses and then receiving a request to associate the prefix of network addresses with the traffic group. Based on this request, the method then creates an association between the traffic group and the received prefix of network addresses.

In some embodiments, the method deploys the second edge forwarding element by configuring the second edge forwarding element to forward data messages of the first set to forwarding elements in the external network, and configuring a set of forwarding elements in the first network to forward the first set of data message flows from a set of machines of the first network to the second edge forwarding element. The edge forwarding elements in some embodiments are edge routers. The method in some of these embodiments configures the second edge forwarding element by configuring the second edge forwarding element to advertise to forwarding elements in the external network routes to the set of machines.

After receiving the request to allocate more bandwidth to the first set of data message flows, the method of some embodiments receives a request to allocate more bandwidth to a third set of the data message flows of the entity that enter or exit the first network of the SDDC. The method deploys for the entity a third edge forwarding element to process the third set of data message flows in order to allocate more bandwidth to the third set of the data message flows, while continuing to process the second set of data message flows through the default first edge node and to process the first set of data message flows through the second edge node.

Like the request for allocating more bandwidth for the first set of data message flows, the method in some embodiments receives the request for more bandwidth for the third set of data message flows by first receiving a request to create another traffic group, receiving another prefix of network addresses that identify the third set of data message flows, and then receiving a request to associate the newly received traffic group with the newly received address prefix. In some embodiments, the address prefixes for the first and third data message flows can overlap. In such cases, the method resolves the overlap by assigning the overlapping addresses to the traffic group that more specifically identifies the addresses.

For instance, if the first list of addresses for the first data message flow set is specified in terms of a range of IP addresses (192.168.200.0/24) while the second list of addresses for the third data message flow set specifies a specific address (192.168.200.10) in this range, the method assigns the more specific address to the second traffic group that identifies the third data message flow set. Alternatively, the first list of addresses can be specified in terms of a first range of IP addresses (192.168.200.0/24) and the second list of addresses can be specified as a smaller second range of IP addresses (192.168.200.0/32) within the first range. In such a case, the method assigns the more specific addresses (i.e., the smaller range 192.168.200.0/32) to the second traffic group that identifies the third data message flow set and the remaining IP addresses in the larger range (the remaining addresses in 192.168.200.0/24) to the first traffic group.

In some embodiments, the method deploys the second and third edge forwarding elements by deploying the second and third edge forwarding elements as different forwarding appliances, while in other embodiments it deploys these forwarding elements by deploying different machines that execute on different host computers in the SDDC. Using different host computers for different sets of data message flows allows different resources (e.g., different physical network interface cards (PNICs)) of the different host computers to be used for the different sets of data message flows.

As used in this document, data messages refer to a collection of bits in a particular format sent across a network. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the term data message is used in this document to refer to various formatted collections of bits that are sent across a network. The formatting of these bits can be specified by standardized protocols or non-standardized protocols. Examples of data messages following standardized protocols include Ethernet frames, IP packets, TCP segments, UDP datagrams, etc. Also, as used in this document, references to L2, L3, L4, and L7 layers (or layer 2, layer 3, layer 4, and layer 7) are references respectively to the second data link layer, the third network layer, the fourth transport layer, and the seventh application layer of the OSI (Open System Interconnection) layer model.

The edge forwarding elements in some embodiments are edge gateways that connect the private first network of the entity to external networks (e.g., to the network of the SDDC or to external networks outside of the SDDC). FIGS. 1-3 illustrate one example of deploying multiple edge gateways in an SDDC in order to allocate additional bandwidth to multiple different sets of ingress and egress flows to and from machines that are deployed in the SDDC for an entity. In this example, the SDDC is a public cloud availability zone 102 in which a virtual private cloud (VPC) 100 has been defined for an entity, which in this example is a tenant of the private cloud. An availability zone in some embodiments includes one datacenter or more than one datacenters that are near each other. Although FIGS. 1-3 illustrate the use of some embodiments in a public cloud context, one of ordinary skill will realize that some embodiments of the invention can similarly be implemented in private datacenters.

For the entity, the VPC 100 includes a private network 105 formed by several forwarding elements (e.g., switches and routers), which are not shown in these figures to avoid obscuring these figures with unnecessary detail. The forwarding elements include software forwarding elements (e.g., software switches and/or routers) and middlebox elements (e.g., firewall, load balancers, etc.) executing on multi-tenant host computers 115 along with machines 110 that have been deployed for the entity. In some embodiments, the forwarding elements also include hardware forwarding elements and/or middlebox elements (e.g., hardware switching and/or router appliances, and/or middlebox appliances).

In some embodiments, the private network 105 is established by sharding the internal network address space of the private cloud, and providing a set of internal network addresses to the private network 105 that does not overlap with the internal network addresses provided to any other tenant of the VPC. In other embodiments, the private network 105 is a logical overlay network that is formed by establishing tunnels between the forwarding elements of the private network and having the forwarding elements exchange data messages through these tunnels, e.g., by encapsulating the data messages with tunnel headers that allow the data messages to be exchanged between the forwarding elements, while preserving the original data message headers that contain network addresses defined in the logical address space. In some embodiments, the logical address space of one tenant might overlap with the logical address space of another tenant but this does not matter because of the encapsulating tunnel headers.

FIG. 1 illustrates a default gateway 120 that is initially deployed by a set of controllers 130 to connect the VPC network 105 with a first external network. The first external network in this example is a network inside of the public cloud datacenter 102. In this example, any VPC gateway (including the default gateway 120) connects to (i.e., forwards packets to) one or more gateways 135 of the public cloud datacenter 102, which communicates with an external network 145 outside of the public cloud datacenter 102. In other embodiments, a VPC gateway (including the default gateway 120) connects directly to the external network 145 without having to go through any gateway 135 of the public cloud datacenter 102.

In some embodiments, the controller set 130 configures the default gateway 120 to forward ingress data messages to the VPC network from the cloud gateway 135, and egress data messages from the VPC network to the cloud gateway 135. The controller set in some embodiments also configures the forwarding elements in the VPC network 105 to forward the egress data message to the default gateway 120, and the ingress data messages to the machines 110 of the VPC network.

FIG. 2 illustrates the VPC 100 after a gateway 220 has been created for a first traffic group (TG). This traffic group includes a set of machines 200, including machines 110 d and 110 e. The machine set 200 in some embodiments includes a group of machines for which an administrator of the entity has requested more bandwidth. In some embodiments, the administrator requests this extra bandwidth by first creating the traffic group in a management portal provided by a set of manager servers 125, and then providing a list of network addresses that are associated with the traffic group.

In some embodiments, the list of network addresses are network addresses associated with interfaces for connecting the machines in the machine set 200 to forwarding elements in the VPC network 105. In some embodiments, the administrator provides the list of network addresses associated with the traffic group by first providing a prefix of network addresses and then requesting that this prefix of network addresses be associated with the traffic group. Based on this request, the manager servers 125 direct the controller servers 130 to create an association between the traffic group and the received prefix of network addresses.

The administrator provided list of network addresses for the first TG identifies the subset of the data message flows to be processed by the first traffic group's gateway 220. Specifically, for the first traffic group, the controller set 130 deploys the first TG gateway 220. In some embodiments, it is important for the same TG gateway to process ingress and egress data messages flow for the traffic group machines, as the gateway needs to maintain state and/or performs stateful middlebox services (such as firewall, load balancing, etc.) for the traffic group. In some embodiments, each gateway (e.g., the default gateway, and each TG gateway) maintains state and/or preforms stateful middlebox services on ingress and/or egress traffic entering and/or exiting the VPC network.

In some of these embodiments, the controller set employs destination-side routing to ensure that the cloud gateway 135 forwards all of the ingress data messages to the first traffic group (i.e., all the data messages that are destined to the list of network addresses provided for the first traffic group) to the TG gateway 220, and source-side routing to ensure that the forwarding elements of the VPC network 105 forward all the egress data messages from the first traffic group (i.e., all the egress data messages from the list of network addresses provided by the first traffic group) to the TG gateway 220.

More specifically, the controller set 130 configures the cloud gateway 135 to forward to the first TG gateway 220 ingress data messages that are destinated to the network address provided for the first traffic group. The controller set 130 also configures the first TG gateway 220 to forward these ingress data messages to the VPC network 105 from the cloud gateway 135, and egress data messages from the first TG machines 200 to the cloud gateway 135. In some embodiments, the controller servers also configure the first TG gateway 220 to advertise routes to the list of TG-associated network addresses to the cloud gateway 135. The controller set 130 in some embodiments also configures the forwarding elements in the VPC network 105 to forward the egress data message with source addresses in the provided list of address of the first traffic group (i.e., all the egress data messages from the set of machines 200 of the first traffic group) to the first TG gateway 220. It also configures these forwarding elements to forward the ingress data messages that are destined to the TG-associated network addresses to the machine set 200.

The forwarding elements in the VPC network 105 in some embodiments include intervening routers. The controller set 130 configures these intervening routers in the VPC network 105 in some embodiments by providing next-hop forwarding rules to the set of intervening routers. Alternatively, or conjunctively, the configured set of forwarding elements in some embodiments includes a set of intervening switches that implement a logical switch. In these embodiments, the method configures the set of intervening switches by providing forwarding rules to the set of intervening switches to direct the switches to forward the first set of data message flows to the first TG gateway 220 through tunnels that connect the set of intervening switches to the first TG gateway 220.

FIG. 3 illustrates the VPC 100 after a gateway 320 has been created for a second traffic group (TG). This traffic group includes a set of machines 300, including machines 110 b and 110 c. The machine set 300 in some embodiments includes a group of machines for which the entity administrator has requested more bandwidth. In some embodiments, the administrator requests this extra bandwidth by first creating the second traffic group in the management portal, and then providing a list of network addresses that are associated with the second traffic group. The provided list of addresses in some embodiments are network addresses associated with interfaces for connecting the machines in the machine set 300 to forwarding elements in the VPC network 105. Like the addresses for the first traffic group, the administrator in some embodiments provides the network addresses for the second traffic group by first providing a prefix of network addresses and then requesting that this prefix of network addresses be associated with the second traffic group. Based on this request, the manager set 125 directs the controller set 130 to create an association between the second traffic group and the prefix of network addresses received for this group.

For the second traffic group, the controller set 130 deploys the second TG gateway 320. As it did for the first traffic group, the controller set employs destination-side routing to ensure that the cloud gateway 135 forwards all of the ingress data messages to the second traffic group (i.e., all the data messages that are destined to the list of network addresses provided for the second traffic group) to the second TG gateway 320, and source-side routing to ensure that the forwarding elements of the VPC network 105 forward all the egress data messages from the second traffic group (i.e., all the egress data messages from the list of network addresses provided by the second traffic group) to the second TG gateway 320.

The controller set 130 also configures the second TG gateway 320 to forward the ingress data messages to the VPC network 105 from the cloud gateway 135, and egress data messages from the second TG machines 300 to the cloud gateway 135. In some embodiments, the controller set also configures the second TG gateway 320 to advertise routes to the network addresses associated with the second traffic group to the cloud gateway 135. The controller set 130 in some embodiments also configures the forwarding elements in the VPC network 105 to forward ingress data messages that are destined to the second TG-associated network addresses to the machine set 300.

After the controller set 130 configures the first TG and second TG gateways 220 and 320, the first gateway 220 forwards all of the ingress and egress traffic for the first traffic group machines, the second gateway 320 forwards all of the ingress and egress traffic for the second traffic group machines, and the default gateway 120 forwards all of the ingress and egress traffic for entity machines that are not in the first and second traffic groups.

In some embodiments, each gateway 120, 220 or 320 is logical gateway that implemented by a high-availability (HA) pair of physical gateways, which are in an HA active-standby configuration, as further described below. Also, each gateway is deployed as a separate appliance in some embodiments. In other embodiments, each gateway is deployed as a machine that executes on a host computer (e.g., a multi-tenant host computer or a standalone host computer). In some of these embodiments, the different gateways are deployed on different host computers in order to maximize the throughput of each gateway. Using different host computers to implement different gateway for different traffic groups allows dedicated resources (e.g., physical network interface cards (PNICs)) of the different host computers to be used for the data message flows of the different traffic groups.

FIG. 4 conceptually illustrates a process 400 performed by the manager and controller servers 125 and 130 in some embodiments to define and deploy a traffic group to allocate additional bandwidth to a set of machines. This process will be explained by reference to FIGS. 5-18, which illustrate an administrator's interaction with a management user interface (UI) 500 to create and define the traffic group. The management servers 125 in some embodiments provide this UI and process the administrator requests that are made through this UI.

As shown, the process 400 starts the management UI 500 (at 405) receives administrator's request to create the traffic group and creates a traffic group (e.g., created a traffic group object) in response to this request. FIG. 5 illustrates an example the management UI 500. Specifically, it illustrates a traffic group pane 505 that is displayed when the administrator (i.e., the user) selects the traffic group control 502 in the side panel 507 that lists the network and security controls 508. The traffic pane 505 includes two tabs, the traffic groups pane 504 and IP prefix list pane 506. In FIG. 5, the traffic groups pane 504 is being shown with one previously created traffic group estg1, and the user is selecting the add traffic group control 510 through a cursor click operation, as shown.

FIG. 6 illustrates a display window 600 that is displayed following the selection of the add traffic group control 510 by the management servers 125. It also illustrates the user providing a name (estg2) for this traffic group in the name field 605, and saving this newly created traffic group by selecting the save control 610 through a cursor click operation. FIG. 7 illustrates the addition of this newly created traffic group estg2 to the traffic groups that are listed on the traffic group pane 505.

After creating (at 405) the traffic group, the process 400 receives from the user a list of network addresses that will subsequently be associated with the traffic group. In some embodiments, a user can provide the list of addresses before the creation of the traffic group with which they will later be associated. The process 400 stores the received list of network addresses as an IP prefix list.

FIGS. 8-14 illustrate an administrator's interaction with the management UI 500 to create and define an IP prefix list. FIG. 8 shows the IP prefix list pane 506 that includes an add IP prefix list control 800, while FIG. 9 shows the selection of this control 900 through a cursor click operation. FIG. 10 illustrates a display window 1000 that is presented after this selection. It also displays that in a prefix name field 1005, the user has specified a prefix name (espfxl1). It further displays the user's selection of a set control 1010, which results in the opening of a set prefix window 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11.

In the set prefix window 1100 the user selects an add prefix control 1105, which directs the UI 500 to display a prefix pane 1200 illustrated in FIG. 12. In this pane 1200, the user specifies one or more IP prefixes. In this example, one IP prefix (192.168.200.0/24) has been specified. After specifying the IP prefix, the user selects an add control 1205, which then causes the set prefix window 1100 to display the specified prefix. This display is shown in FIG. 13, along with the user's selection of the apply control 1300 to direct the management servers to associate the specified prefix list with the prefix name. FIG. 14 illustrates the prefix pane 506, which after the selection of the apply control 1300 in FIG. 13 now displays “1” for the prefixes that have been defined for the prefix name espfxl1. FIG. 14 also shows the user's selection of a save control 1400 that directs the management servers to save the specified prefix list espfxl1, which includes its name and its specified set of IP prefixes.

After receiving (at 410) from the user a list of network addresses, the process 400 receives a request from the user to associate the received list of network addresses with the traffic group specified at 405. FIGS. 15-18 illustrate an example of this association request for some embodiments. FIG. 15 illustrates the user's invocation of a set of controls 1500 for the specified traffic group. In some embodiments, the user invokes this control set 1500 through a cursor (e.g., a right hand click) operation or a keyboard operation with respect to the traffic group name (estg2) that is displayed in the traffic group pane 505.

FIG. 15 also illustrates the user's selection of an edit control 1505 in the control set 1500. This selection results in the display of a mapping window 1600 of FIG. 16. As shown, the mapping window has an add-mapping control 1605 that allows the user to specify one or more IP prefix mappings to a traffic group (e.g., estg1). Each mapping has a name that can be entered through the name field 1610, a gateway name that can be entered through the gateway field 1620, and a mapped IP prefix that can be entered through the prefix drop-down list 1615. To map the traffic group to multiple IP prefixes, the add-mapping control 1605 in some embodiments has to be invoked multiple times, once for each mapping.

FIG. 16 shows the mapping of the traffic group estg1 to the prefix list esprfxl1. It also shows that the name for this mapping is esmap1 and the name of the gateway is compute gateway. This name is indicative of the machines that are associated with the specified IP prefix esprfxl1 in this example. FIG. 17 illustrates the selection of a save control 1700 of the mapping window 1600 after the various values have been specified in the mapping window for the traffic group estg1. FIG. 18 then illustrates traffic group pane 505 after this save operation. As shown, the traffic group pane 505 displays the attributes of the estg1, which now include the mapping esmap1 to the IP prefix esprfxl1.

Once the specified traffic group is associated with a specified list of network addresses, the management servers 125 direct (at 420) the controller servers to deploy a gateway for the traffic group and to configure the SDDC routers to forward data message traffic for the traffic group's associated IP prefix through this gateway. The controller servers 130 in some embodiments deploy (at 425) the TG gateway as an HA pair of physical gateways, with one physical gateway serving as the active gateway and the other physical gateway serving as a standby gateway. In some embodiments, each physical gateway is deployed as a machine (e.g., virtual machine) executing on a host computer in the SDDC, and the gateways in the active/standby pair are deployed on different host computers for HA purposes.

After deploying the TG gateway, the controller servers 130 configure (at 430) the cloud gateways (e.g., gateway 135) to direct all ingress data message to the entity's VPC that are destined to the received traffic group's list of IP addresses (e.g., to the TG's IP prefix) to the TG gateway that was deployed at 425. As mentioned above, the controller servers configure the cloud gateway by providing next-hop forwarding rules that identify the TG gateway as the next hop of ingress data messages that have destination IP addresses in the IP prefix.

Next, at 435, the controller servers 130 configure the routers that implement the VPC to direct all egress data message exiting the entity's VPC that are from sources with the received traffic group's list of IP addresses (e.g., from the TG's IP prefix) to the TG gateway that was deployed at 425. As mentioned above, the controller servers configure the VPC implementing routers by providing next-hop forwarding rules that identify the TG gateway as the next hop of ingress data messages that have source IP addresses in the IP prefix. After 435, the process ends.

Many of the above-described features and applications are implemented as software processes that are specified as a set of instructions recorded on a computer readable storage medium (also referred to as computer readable medium). When these instructions are executed by one or more processing unit(s) (e.g., one or more processors, cores of processors, or other processing units), they cause the processing unit(s) to perform the actions indicated in the instructions. Examples of computer readable media include, but are not limited to, CD-ROMs, flash drives, RAM chips, hard drives, EPROMs, etc. The computer readable media does not include carrier waves and electronic signals passing wirelessly or over wired connections.

In this specification, the term “software” is meant to include firmware residing in read-only memory or applications stored in magnetic storage, which can be read into memory for processing by a processor. Also, in some embodiments, multiple software inventions can be implemented as sub-parts of a larger program while remaining distinct software inventions. In some embodiments, multiple software inventions can also be implemented as separate programs. Finally, any combination of separate programs that together implement a software invention described here is within the scope of the invention. In some embodiments, the software programs, when installed to operate on one or more electronic systems, define one or more specific machine implementations that execute and perform the operations of the software programs.

Some embodiments include electronic components, such as microprocessors, that store computer program instructions in a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (alternatively referred to as computer-readable storage media, machine-readable media, or machine-readable storage media). Some examples of such computer-readable media include RAM, ROM, read-only compact discs (CD-ROM), recordable compact discs (CD-R), rewritable compact discs (CD-RW), read-only digital versatile discs (e.g., DVD-ROM, dual-layer DVD-ROM), a variety of recordable/rewritable DVDs (e.g., DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, etc.), flash memory (e.g., SD cards, mini-SD cards, micro-SD cards, etc.), magnetic and/or solid state hard drives, read-only and recordable Blu-Ray® discs, ultra-density optical discs, any other optical or magnetic media, and floppy disks. The computer-readable media may store a computer program that is executable by at least one processing unit and includes sets of instructions for performing various operations. Examples of computer programs or computer code include machine code, such as is produced by a compiler, and files including higher-level code that are executed by a computer, an electronic component, or a microprocessor using an interpreter.

While the above discussion primarily refers to microprocessor or multi-core processors that execute software, some embodiments are performed by one or more integrated circuits, such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). In some embodiments, such integrated circuits execute instructions that are stored on the circuit itself.

As used in this specification, the terms “computer”, “server”, “processor”, and “memory” all refer to electronic or other technological devices. These terms exclude people or groups of people. For the purposes of the specification, the terms “display” or “displaying” mean displaying on an electronic device. As used in this specification, the terms “computer readable medium,” “computer readable media,” and “machine readable medium” are entirely restricted to tangible, physical objects that store information in a form that is readable by a computer. These terms exclude any wireless signals, wired download signals, and any other ephemeral or transitory signals.

FIG. 19 conceptually illustrates a computer system 1900 with which some embodiments of the invention are implemented. The computer system 1900 can be used to implement any of the above-described hosts, controllers, and managers. As such, it can be used to execute any of the above described processes. This computer system includes various types of non-transitory machine readable media and interfaces for various other types of machine readable media. Computer system 1900 includes a bus 1905, processing unit(s) 1910, a system memory 1925, a read-only memory 1930, a permanent storage device 1935, input devices 1940, and output devices 1945.

The bus 1905 collectively represents all system, peripheral, and chipset buses that communicatively connect the numerous internal devices of the computer system 1900. For instance, the bus 1905 communicatively connects the processing unit(s) 1910 with the read-only memory 1930, the system memory 1925, and the permanent storage device 1935.

From these various memory units, the processing unit(s) 1910 retrieve instructions to execute and data to process in order to execute the processes of the invention. The processing unit(s) may be a single processor or a multi-core processor in different embodiments. The read-only-memory (ROM) 1930 stores static data and instructions that are needed by the processing unit(s) 1910 and other modules of the computer system. The permanent storage device 1935, on the other hand, is a read-and-write memory device. This device is a non-volatile memory unit that stores instructions and data even when the computer system 1900 is off. Some embodiments of the invention use a mass-storage device (such as a magnetic or optical disk and its corresponding disk drive) as the permanent storage device 1935.

Other embodiments use a removable storage device (such as a floppy disk, flash drive, etc.) as the permanent storage device. Like the permanent storage device 1935, the system memory 1925 is a read-and-write memory device. However, unlike storage device 1935, the system memory is a volatile read-and-write memory, such as random access memory. The system memory stores some of the instructions and data that the processor needs at runtime. In some embodiments, the invention's processes are stored in the system memory 1925, the permanent storage device 1935, and/or the read-only memory 1930. From these various memory units, the processing unit(s) 1910 retrieve instructions to execute and data to process in order to execute the processes of some embodiments.

The bus 1905 also connects to the input and output devices 1940 and 1945. The input devices enable the user to communicate information and select requests to the computer system. The input devices 1940 include alphanumeric keyboards and pointing devices (also called “cursor control devices”). The output devices 1945 display images generated by the computer system. The output devices include printers and display devices, such as cathode ray tubes (CRT) or liquid crystal displays (LCD). Some embodiments include devices such as touchscreens that function as both input and output devices.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 19, bus 1905 also couples computer system 1900 to a network 1965 through a network adapter (not shown). In this manner, the computer can be a part of a network of computers (such as a local area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), or an Intranet), or a network of networks (such as the Internet). Any or all components of computer system 1900 may be used in conjunction with the invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to numerous specific details, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, several of the above-described embodiments allocate more bandwidth to a set of data message flows by having an administrator request the creation of a new traffic group, associating a set of network addresses with this traffic group, and then deploying a new gateway for the traffic group in order to process ingress/egress traffic associated with the set of network addresses. Other embodiments, however, have the administrator simply request a specific amount (e.g., a certain amount of bytes/second) or a general amount (e.g., high, medium, low, etc.) of ingress/egress bandwidth for a set of data message flows. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrative details, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims. 

We claim:
 1. A method of providing bandwidth as a resource in a software defined datacenter (SDDC), the method comprising: providing, through a user interface, a first set of controls to define a traffic group for which a dedicated edge forwarding element will be deployed to process a first set of data message flows associated with the traffic group; providing, through the user interface, a second set of controls to define a set of network addresses that is associated with the traffic group within the SDDC, the set of network addresses serving as source or destination network addresses for the first set of data message flows associated with the traffic group; and deploying the dedicated edge forwarding element to process the first set of data message flows in order to allocate more bandwidth to the first set of data message flows.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising deploying a default edge forwarding element to process a second set of data message flows that is not associated with the traffic group.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of controls comprises a subset of controls to receive a prefix of network addresses and to receive a request to associate the prefix of network addresses with the traffic group.
 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising creating an association between the traffic group and the received prefix of network addresses.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the set of network addresses is a set of network addresses associated with interfaces for connecting a set of machines in a first network of the SDDC to forwarding elements of the first network, the set of machines serving as sources or destinations of the first set of data message flows.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein deploying the dedicated edge forwarding element comprises: configuring the dedicated edge forwarding element to forward data messages of the first set to forwarding elements in a network external to a first network of the SDDC associated with the set of network addresses; and configuring a set of forwarding elements in the first network to forward data message flows in the first set of data message flows from a set of machines of the first network to the dedicated edge forwarding element.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein: the edge forwarding elements are edge routers; and configuring the dedicated edge forwarding element comprises configuring the dedicated edge forwarding element to advertise to forwarding elements in the external network routes associated with the set of network addresses.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein: the set of forwarding elements comprises a set of intervening routers; and configuring the set of forwarding elements comprises providing next-hop forwarding rules to the set of intervening routers.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein: the set of forwarding elements comprises a set of intervening switches that implement a logical switch; and configuring the set of forwarding elements comprises providing forwarding rules to the set of intervening switches to direct the switches to forward data messages of the first set to the second edge forwarding element through a set of tunnels that connect the set of intervening switches to the second edge forwarding element.
 10. The method of claim 6 further comprising configuring a gateway of the SDDC to forward data message flows with destination IP addresses in the set of network addresses to the dedicated edge forwarding element.
 11. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for providing dedicated bandwidth as a resource in a software defined datacenter (SDDC), the program for execution by at least one processing unit of a computer, the program comprising sets of instructions for: providing, through a user interface, a first set of controls to define a traffic group for which a dedicated edge forwarding element will be deployed to process a first set of data message flows associated with the traffic group; providing, through the user interface, a second set of controls to define a set of network addresses that is associated with the traffic group within the SDDC, the set of network addresses serving as source or destination network addresses for the first set of data message flows associated with the traffic group; and deploying the dedicated edge forwarding element to process the first set of data message flows in order to allocate more bandwidth to the first set of data message flows.
 12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for deploying a default edge forwarding element to process a second set of data message flows that is not associated with the traffic group.
 13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the second set of controls comprises a subset of controls to receive a prefix of network addresses, and to receive a request to associate the prefix of network addresses with the traffic group.
 14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for creating an association between the traffic group and the received prefix of network addresses.
 15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the set of network addresses is a set of network addresses associated with interfaces for connecting a set of machines in a first network of the SDDC to forwarding elements of the first network, the set of machines serving as sources or destinations of the first set of data message flows.
 16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the set of instructions for deploying the dedicated edge forwarding element comprises sets of instructions for: configuring the dedicated edge forwarding element to forward data messages of the first set to forwarding elements in a network external to a first network of the SDDC associated with the set of network addresses; and configuring a set of forwarding elements in the first network to forward data message flows in the first set of data message flows from a set of machines of the first network to the dedicated edge forwarding element.
 17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the edge forwarding elements are edge routers; and the set of instructions for configuring the dedicated edge forwarding element a set of instructions for comprises configuring the dedicated edge forwarding element to advertise to forwarding elements in the external network routes associated with the set of network addresses.
 18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein: the set of forwarding elements comprises a set of intervening routers; and the set of instructions for configuring the set of forwarding elements comprises a set of instructions for providing next-hop forwarding rules to the set of intervening routers.
 19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein: the set of forwarding elements comprises a set of intervening switches that implement a logical switch; and the set of instructions for configuring the set of forwarding elements comprises a set of instructions for providing forwarding rules to the set of intervening switches to direct the switches to forward data messages of the first set to the second edge forwarding element through a set of tunnels that connect the set of intervening switches to the second edge forwarding element.
 20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for configuring a gateway of the SDDC to forward data message flows with destination IP addresses in the set of network addresses to the dedicated edge forwarding element. 